Marriage
Civil, Muslim, Hindu and Orisha marriage each have their own Act, and since 2017 the age floor is 18 under all of them.
Marriage is governed by the Marriage Act together with the Muslim, Hindu and Orisha Marriage Acts, each providing for recognised religious ceremonies. The minimum age was raised to 18 across all marriage statutes in 2017, ending religious exemptions that had allowed much younger marriage.
Key points
| Age | 18 across all marriage laws since 2017 |
|---|---|
| Polygamy | Prohibited; bigamy is an offence under the Sexual Offences legislation. |
| Types | Civil, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Orisha marriages, all registrable |
| Cohabitation | Cohabitational relationships recognised for property purposes after five years |
| Registration | Through the Registrar General's Department |
| Four statutes | Marriage Act, Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act, Hindu Marriage Act, Orisa Marriage Act |
| Registered officers | Each statute has its own register of marriage officers |
| Minimum age 18 | Uniform since the 2017 reform, which removed the religious exemptions |
| Licence | Issued by the Registrar General |
In practice
- Match the officer's registration to the statute under which you are marrying.
- Register the marriage and obtain certified copies.
Worth knowing
The 2017 reform set a uniform minimum age of 18 across all four statutes, ending the religious exemptions that had permitted child marriage.
The general article: Marriage · Compare with another country
Partnerships and cohabitation
A cohabitant may seek property adjustment and maintenance after five years together, or after two with an agreement or a child.
The Cohabitational Relationships Act allows a cohabitant to apply for property adjustment and maintenance after five years of living together, or after two years where there is a cohabitation agreement or a child.
Key points
| Cohabitational Relationships Act | Five years, or less where there is a child or a cohabitation agreement |
|---|---|
| Two-year deadline | Applications must be made within two years of separation |
| Cohabitation agreement | Recognised by the Act and can shorten the qualifying period |
| Intestacy | A cohabitant has a claim only through family provision, not automatic inheritance |
In practice
- Enter a cohabitation agreement: it is recognised by statute and removes most uncertainty.
- Apply within two years of separation — the limit is strictly applied.
Worth knowing
Trinidad and Tobago has one of the more developed cohabitation statutes in the region, but its two-year deadline defeats most claims that are brought late.
The general article: Partnerships and cohabitation · Compare with another country
Same-sex marriage
The High Court declared the buggery provisions unconstitutional in 2018 in a widely reported judgment. The State appealed, and in 2025 the Court of Appeal allowed the appeal and restored the provision, relying on the savings clause for pre-independence laws while reducing the penalty. A further appeal to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council has been pursued. Marriage was defined in 2017 as between a man and a woman.
Trinidad and Tobago is the rare case of a country that decriminalised and then re-criminalised by judgment rather than by legislation. The reversal turned on the savings clause, the same device that blocks challenges in Jamaica, which makes the pending Privy Council appeal significant for the whole Commonwealth Caribbean.
Key points
| Marriage | Not available; defined by statute since 2017 as between a man and a woman |
|---|---|
| 2018 ruling | High Court declared the buggery provisions unconstitutional |
| 2025 appeal | Court of Appeal reversed the ruling and restored the provision |
| Further appeal | Pursued before the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council |
| Prosecutions | Not brought for consensual adult conduct |
Cost and coverage
Organisations operate openly and provide legal referral.
Recent changes
The Court of Appeal allowed the State's appeal in 2025, reversing the 2018 declaration and restoring the provision with a reduced penalty; a further appeal has been pursued to the Privy Council.
Worth knowing
The legal position is genuinely unsettled pending the final appeal: descriptions written between 2018 and 2025 are out of date, and so will be this one if the Privy Council rules.
Frequently asked questions
So is same-sex conduct lawful or not?
The 2018 declaration was reversed on appeal in 2025, restoring the offence with a reduced penalty, and a further appeal has been pursued. Until that is decided the position is contested. Prosecutions for consensual adult conduct are not in practice brought.
Does the Marriage Act matter?
Yes. The 2017 amendments, passed to raise the minimum age of marriage, also defined marriage as between a man and a woman across the marriage statutes, which closes off recognition independently of the criminal question.
The general article: Same-sex marriage · Compare with another country
Religious ceremony
Trinidad and Tobago has separate statutes for civil marriage, Muslim marriage, Hindu marriage and Orisa marriage, each with its own registered marriage officers. In 2017 Parliament repealed the provisions that had allowed religious marriages of children, setting a uniform minimum age of eighteen across all four regimes — a reform that attracted considerable debate.
Key points
| Marriage officers | Registered under the relevant statute |
|---|---|
| Licence | Required, from the Registrar General |
| Minimum age | 18 for all forms of marriage since the 2017 reform |
| Registration | With the Registrar General's Department |
| Cohabitants | Cohabitational Relationships Act gives rights after five years |
| Four registers | Each statute maintains its own list of marriage officers |
| Uniform minimum age | Eighteen across all four statutes since 2017 |
In practice
- Match the officer's registration to the statute you are marrying under.
Recent changes
The 2017 reform set a uniform minimum age of 18, ending the religious-marriage exemptions that had allowed child marriage.
Where to go
- Registered marriage officers of the relevant faith.
- Legal Aid and Advisory Authority.
Worth knowing
Make sure the officer is registered under the statute matching the ceremony: an Orisa marriage conducted by an officer registered only under the Marriage Act is not validly solemnised. An officer registered under one statute cannot validly solemnise under another. The registration, not the rite, is what matters.
The general article: Religious ceremony · Compare with another country
Wedding customs and ceremonies
Hindu weddings here keep a distinctive local shape: the maticoor night, a women's ritual by the river or in the yard; the cooking night, when the community prepares the food together; and the ceremony itself under a mandap. African and Christian traditions contribute their own forms, and mixed celebrations are common.
Hindu weddings in Trinidad run over several days and include maticoor night, a women's ceremony with drumming and dancing at the bride's home, and cooking night, when the community gathers to prepare the food together. Both are as anticipated as the wedding itself. The island's African, Indian, Christian and Muslim traditions each have their own forms, and mixed families combine them without much fuss.
Key points
| Maticoor | Women's ritual night before the wedding |
|---|---|
| Cooking night | Community prepares the food together, the night before |
| Mandap | Canopy for the Hindu ceremony |
| Several days | Celebrations commonly span three days |
| Dress | Sari or traditional dress for the Hindu ceremony |
| Registration | Marriage officers registered by denomination |
| Music | Tassa drumming for the procession |
In practice
- The cooking night is a genuine event: turning up to help is the point.
- Tassa drumming accompanies the procession and is arranged in advance.
- Several traditions coexist; ask which one the family follows.
- Registration requirements differ by denomination of the officiant.
What it costs
A multi-day Trinidadian wedding commonly runs to TT$80,000 or more, though community preparation of food, particularly on cooking night, keeps catering costs far below comparable Western weddings.
Recent changes
The minimum age of marriage was raised to eighteen across all the marriage statutes in 2017, ending the differing religious minimum ages that had applied previously.
Frequently asked questions
What is maticoor night?
A women's gathering at the bride's home a few nights before the wedding, with tassa drumming, dancing and rituals including a procession to collect earth or water. Men are traditionally excluded. It is boisterous rather than solemn, and it is many guests' favourite part of the week.
How many marriage systems are there?
Marriages can be solemnised under the Marriage Act, the Hindu Marriage Act, the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Act and the Orisa Marriage Act, each with its own registered marriage officers. All produce a legally valid marriage; the registration route differs.
The general article: Wedding customs and ceremonies · Compare with another country
Matrimonial property and inheritance
Property adjustment orders are available on divorce, and cohabitants of five years may seek similar relief.
The Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act allows property adjustment orders on divorce, and the Cohabitational Relationships Act extends similar relief to cohabitants of five years. The Administration of Estates Act and the Succession Act govern intestacy and family provision.
Key points
| Divorce | Property adjustment orders considering contributions and needs |
|---|---|
| Cohabitants | May apply after five years, within two years of separation |
| Intestacy | Defined shares for spouse and children |
| Family provision | Dependants may apply for provision from an estate |
| Wills | Permitted, subject to those claims |
| Estate duty | Abolished |
The general article: Matrimonial property and inheritance · Compare with another country
Divorce
Divorce requires irretrievable breakdown shown by specified facts, and cohabitants may seek property adjustment after five years, or two with an agreement.
Divorce is governed by the Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act, under which the ground is irretrievable breakdown proved by specified facts. Cohabitants of five years, or two years with a cohabitation agreement, may apply for property adjustment under the Cohabitational Relationships Act.
Key points
| Ground | Irretrievable breakdown, proved by adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion or separation |
|---|---|
| One-year bar | No petition within the first year of marriage |
| Property | Adjustment orders available, considering contributions |
| Cohabitants | Covered by the Cohabitational Relationships Act after five years |
| Maintenance | Available for spouses and children |
| One-year bar | No petition within the first year of the marriage |
| Facts | Adultery, unreasonable behaviour, desertion, or separation |
| Cohabitational Relationships Act | Gives property rights after five years of cohabitation |
| Two-year limit | Cohabitants must apply within two years of separation |
In practice
- Cohabitants should apply within two years of separation — the limit is short and strictly applied.
- Full disclosure of assets is required; non-disclosure can reopen an order.
Worth knowing
The two-year deadline for cohabitants is far shorter than most people expect and is the most common reason such claims fail.